The Beach House

by Jolie Campbell

  "I don wanna tea and cookies. I wan another drink. There's a stash of the good stuff aroun here an I-"

  "Elaine! I've been looking all over for you," Quinn crooned, coming around from behind me and taking Elaine's arm. "Will you let me take you downstairs? I've always had this secret fantasy about seeing your bedroom." He winked at me.

  "Quinn Buckley, you are a liar," she said, trying to sound seductive. "But maybe I'll give you somethin to rememer me by, if you're lucky." She tried to flick his nose but missed and nearly poked him in the eye.

  "Oh Elaine, you're such a tease. Come on, let's go. Show me where the magic happens." He led her down the narrow stairs as she leaned heavily on his arm.

  "What the fuck?" Shari hissed as she lumbered into the kitchen.

  "I know," I whispered. "I haven't seen her this bad in the middle of the day before. Do you think something's wrong? Maybe her mother?"

  "What? Oh, you mean Elaine? Who cares, she's just an old nasty drunk," Shari snorted, coming up and getting right in my face as I was heading over to the computer to turn on some music. "I mean, what the fuck about you and Mr. Movie Star? When were you going to tell me?"

  She sounded a little menacing, though she was smiling.

  "Shari! Keep your voice down. What do you mean? Tell you what?"

  She burst out laughing. "Oh please, girl. You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't even try that shit with me. And why should I be quiet? That old wasp is so hammered, she's probably already passed out."

  "There are other people here, and the walls have ears."

  "No, they don't, Emmy," she said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "The only people here who don't want you to be happy are Elaine, that skinny bitch Julianne and I'm starting to think maybe you. I could put up a banner in the living room that you're fucking Quinn Buckley and everyone else here would pat you on the back. Including Mr. Matthews."

  I paused, then went to the computer and turned on Pandora, starting the Foster the People station. I took a deep breath, still uncertain of how to handle this. Deny? Come clean?

  Shari leaned against the counter. "Come on, hon. You really think after all this time I would let anything happen to you? Just tell me."

  I sighed, and couldn’t suppress a slight smile. "I really can't talk about it. But we've been... hanging out. A little."

  She snorted. "Is that what you kids are calling it now? 'Hanging out'? Because I don't mind telling you, that boy looked like he wanted to devour you whole."

  I felt myself blushing. "Hanging out is all I can say right now. Honestly, I don't know what else to say about it. Except please, please keep it to yourself. I know you think I can't get fired, but I know I could and I really can't right now."

  Shari grinned and grabbed me into a quick bear hug. "Your secret is safe with me. Don't worry about it. I'm happy for you. It's about time you got some."

  "Shari!"

  "Sorry! I know. OK," she laughed. "Back to work. I'm going to spend the rest of the day fantasizing that I'm you and all this delicious drama is happening to me."

  "Ha! OK, you enjoy that."

  CHAPTER 18

  Quinn and I were laughing, rolling around in bed together. The gusts of his breaths blew over my warm skin, giving me chills.

  His laughter and kisses tickled my neck, while his fingers brushed over my waist and belly.

  Where were we? I couldn’t remember. I didn't recognize the big, fluffy bed we were in.

  He kissed me, and as his tongue traced my lips and then slipped into my mouth we started floating, up off the bed, and-

  I woke up. I was home, in my own bed, alone. Smiling from the dream.

  Rolling over, I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and checked the clock. Two-thirty a.m. This was unusual for me; I generally slept pretty soundly. But something had woken me.

  I waited, listening. Was it a noise? I didn't hear anything.

  I was warm all over, aroused from the dream. We had both been naked, touching, kissing.

  I wanted Quinn. Right now.

  Before I could reason my way out of it, I got up, threw on a bra, cutoff jean shorts and an old, soft, beaten-up pink sweatshirt, grabbed my keys and headed out to my car.

  On the 10-minute drive over to the Beach House, I refused to let thoughts of how stupid and reckless I was being deter me.

  I am doing this.

  Rolling the window down to feel the breeze, I flipped on the radio and "Close the Door" by Teddy Pendergrass was playing on the oldies station. I smiled. Definitely a sign.

  I parked a block away. The inn was silent and still. I opened the door to Allen's maintenance closet outside the kitchen as quietly as I could, then rummaged in the dark until I found what I was looking for. Palming it, I closed the closet door and crept upstairs.

  I was so nervous and scared I could barely breathe, but excitement and anticipation drove me on.

  I am doing this.

  I used the emergency master key on the door to Quinn's room, moving slowly, trying to be silent.

  I’m in.

  Quinn was fast asleep, curled into a ball on his right side, facing away from me. He was bare from the waist up; the rest of him was covered up with the soft white comforter.

  I crept over to his bed. He whimpered and rolled onto his back, throwing one arm over his head.

  God, he's so beautiful.

  He furrowed, and his lips twitched.

  He murmured something, but I couldn't make out the words. I slipped off my shoes, top and shorts, drew back the covers and slid into bed next to him. He was so warm, his skin radiating heat. As he shifted slightly, I breathed in his scent, and it fueled me. All he had on were his boxer briefs.

  As I positioned my body against his, I could feel that he was semi-hard.

  The shock of my cool skin against his warmth roused him, just as I ran my hands down from his shoulders, over his arms, onto his chest.

  "What? Em? What is it? Are you OK?" he whispered, still half asleep. I reached up to kiss his neck, breathing in deeply to get the full impact of his scent.

  I straddled him and began kissing down his chest, stopping to lick and gently bite his nipples.

  “Ah. What are you doing?"

  "Shhhhhh."

  I dropped soft, lush kisses all over him, trailing down his stomach. When I got to the waistband of his underwear I pulled it off, then returned to where I had been, on top of him, kissing the muscles all over his lower abs and inching down.

  "God, I must be dreaming," he murmured, looking down at me sleepily. "Come here."

  I stared up at him, then smiled.

  "Shhhhh," I repeated. He folded one arm under his head so he could watch me, sleep still clouding his eyes.

  I inched down further, letting my hair drape over him, pushing his legs open so I could kiss his inner thighs. I ran my hands up the sides of his legs and over his hips. He groaned softly, reaching one hand down and gently touching my head.

  I looked up at him again and smiled wickedly. I wanted to devour him, but I kept it in check, determined to draw this out as long as I could.

  He was rock-hard now, his body tensing. I took his cock in my hand, gently gathering his balls in the other. I massaged him, kissing all around his upper thighs.

  "Em, ah. Come here," he arched as I switched from kisses to nibbles.

  "Not yet," I whispered. I let go of his sack so I could use both hands to lightly stroke his penis.

  Licking my lips, I moved over him and swirled my tongue over the head. He jerked, then groaned softly as I moved down over him, taking as much into my mouth as I could.

  I took my time, savoring him, drawing long, deep breaths to help relax my throat so I could take him deeper. Quickly, then slowly, I slid my tongue all over him as I moved my mouth up and down, my hand at the base, squeezing.

  I tortured him, intensifying the movement of my lips and tongue, pumping him with my hand, then stopping to lick slowly along the underside, cupping and stroking his balls. O
ver and over again, switching between hard and soft, taking him higher and then releasing him again.

  Quinn's breath came hard and fast and he began moving with me, matching my rhythm.

  "God, Em, that's amazing. Ah, don't... Don't stop..." He whispered.

  Between his words, the way he moved and my own wiggling around on the bed, I was getting more turned on every second. I poured it all into Quinn, focused on teasing him, licking and stroking, seeking out spots on his body that made him gasp and tremble.

  Finally, when he was gripping the sheets and sweat trickled down his face and chest, I began increasing the intensity, tightening the suction, swirling my tongue faster, twisting my hand as well as pumping it, squeezing him tighter with both my fist and my mouth.

  He was groaning, struggling to keep his voice quiet, his hips bucking.

  He was so worked up, beyond the point of control, his body writhing and his cock growing harder. His excitement spurred me, got me hotter. I felt powerful, free.

  We were both panting, working into a frenzy. Suddenly he stilled, his grip on the sheets tightened, then his back arched as he climaxed, long and hard.

  I held on to him all the way through it, kept my mouth on him, swallowing. Then, as the pulses of his orgasm slowed, I moved off of him, just licking him softly. After a minute his body quieted and I gently released him.

  He opened his eyes and looked at me, dazed. After a long, deep breath, his eyes narrowed and he crooked his finger at me in a "come here" gesture.

  I crawled up, teasing his chest with the lightest brush of my bra's silky material. I kissed his cheek, right next to his ear, then whispered, "Sweet dreams."

  Climbing out of bed, I reached for my clothes.

  "Em, get back here. Right now," he whispered urgently, sitting up, reaching for me. Now dressed, I shimmied out of his grasp and headed toward the door. I had to return the master key and leave before anyone woke up.

  "I have to go," I smiled back, blowing him a kiss. "See you tomorrow."

  "Em-" he whispered after me as I slipped into the hall and shut the door.

  When I got home I found my cell phone next to my bed, buzzing with a new text from Quinn.

  Was that real, or the best dream I've ever, ever had in my entire fucking life?? Either way, you are in serious trouble. Xxx Q

  I was riding high the next morning, proud of myself for my boldness with Quinn and the uncharacteristic way I had taken a risk. It was really unlike me, but it had felt so good, so right. It gave me a shot of confidence, and I wanted to hang onto that. A couple of weeks earlier, when I thought the whole thing with Quinn was in my head, I had resolved to follow up with Lauren about my plans for the future, but then I had gotten distracted again.

  Now I was feeling so good about him, and us. And myself. After the night's adventure, I felt daring and fearless.

  I wanted to do more at work, knew I could do more, and Lauren had seemed to think so, too. It would be crazy to squander the goodwill she had expressed.

  I thought about the conversation Quinn and I had the night we had dinner together, how I admonished him to just go for it.

  Time to take my own advice.

  Before I could talk myself out of it, I opened my email and

  wrote.

  Dear Lauren,

  I wanted to follow up with you regarding our conversation a few weeks ago. You had mentioned that you and Dennis have some other ventures in the works, and perhaps there might be a role that is suitable for my skills and experience.

  If your schedule permits, I'd love to get together to talk it over. Please let me know when would be most convenient for you.

  Thank you for your confidence in me, and your consideration.

  Kind regards,

  Emmy

  I read it over a few times, ran spell check twice, then hit "Send" before I lost my nerve.

  "Hey gorgeous," Quinn said as he sailed into the kitchen later that day. He walked right up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, bending to press his cheek against mine.

  As good as it felt, I wiggled out of his arms and scurried across the room.

  "Hey! What are you doing?" I accused, though I couldn't help but smile. I loved how affectionate he was, but not right now. It was just after noon, the inn was crawling with guests, and Elaine was up and around. Lauren had written back and promised to have her assistant contact me about setting up a meeting time. I couldn't blow it now by getting in trouble.

  "I am shamelessly grabbing a beautiful girl," Quinn practically shouted, chasing after me. "I'm crazy about you, and I want the world to know!"

  He started dancing around the kitchen like a deranged Gene Kelly, and I was giggling and panicking at the same time. "Quinn! Seriously, stop!"

  "No," he grinned, calming down. He approached me again, and took my hands.

  "Listen, Em. I don't want to sneak around. I talked to Julianne about it, and she and I called Dennis and Lauren. It's all out in the open."

  Stunned, I froze. The blood drained from my face and I stood there dumbly, shaking my head. Thoughts flashed through my mind. He had spoken to Julianne? That didn't make sense. Didn't I get a say in this? "What is it? I thought you'd be happy," Quinn was incredulous. "Your job is perfectly safe, and we don't have to hide. No secrets. We don't have full carte blanche, they don't want you to sleep in my room or have me down in the little bedroom when you do overnights, but-"

  "When?"

  "...And we have to keep the PDA to a minimum. They don’t want the other guests to know, though that seemed like less of an issue. I told them I would do my best to keep my hands off you while you're working, but I couldn't prom-"

  "Quinn!"

  He stopped.

  "What?" He started tucking the hair that had escaped my ponytail behind my ear, but I ducked away.

  "When?"

  "When what?"

  "When! When did you call Lauren?"

  "I don't know, like an hour ago?" My stomach dropped so hard and so abruptly, it was a wonder I was still upright. "She and Dennis were surprised, but they were really cool about it. I told them that you had been completely professional the whole time, and that I-"

  "Don't you think you should have asked me first?"

  He let go of me and stared into my eyes, confused. "Asked you what? To go steady? I thought that was implied." He smiled.

  I rubbed my eyes, not fully sure how to articulate what I was thinking.

  "Em, what is it?"

  "Hey kids, hope I'm not interrupting," said Dan, strolling into the kitchen. "Emmy, love, can I sneak another piece of that zucchini bread?"

  It took all the energy I could muster to put my game face on and smile for Dan.

  "Of course," I said, as warmly as I could. "Can I bring it to you in the living room, or outside? Is Martin with you?"

  "No, just me. He's out running some mysterious errands. Probably planning my birthday party. You don't know anything about that, do you, darling? I hate surprises," he frowned.

  "Who, me? Not a thing. Is your birthday coming up?" I winked at him, and he laughed.

  "I should have known!" He threw up his hands in mock exasperation. "OK, I won't ask any more questions, you stinker. I'll be in the living room. No rush on the bread, since you're dealing with the movie star."

  He smiled at us both, gave a little wave and left.

  "Let me just take care of this," I said to Quinn, trying to keep my tone light. He grabbed my hand as I crossed past him to unwrap the bread and slice it.

  "You're not mad, are you?" he asked, sounding truly puzzled.

  "I- I don't know. No. I don't think so. It's OK. I'll be right back."

  I gave him a thin-lipped smile as I left.

  He was texting when I returned, but quickly stuck his phone in his pocket when he saw me and leaned his hip against the counter.

  I hesitated. "I just-" I stopped. It still felt wrong to interact with him like this in the kitchen, when anyone could walk in.

&nb
sp; "I can't do this here," I said quietly. "Can we talk tonight, after I'm done? We can take a walk. Or if you don't have plans, you can come to my place."

  He stared at me, clearly perplexed. "OK. God Em, this is not the reaction I was expecting at all," he said, shaking his head. "I can't imagine what's going on with you right now. Are you pissed at me?"

  "No. I- no. It's all right. Let's just talk later, OK? Don't worry."

  "What time will you be done? I'd like to go to your place."

  "Meet me there at 8:30, OK?"

  He nodded and kissed my cheek, then left.

  At 8:30 on the dot my buzzer rang. I had just hung up from talking to my mother, who'd had another setback at work. I hadn't told her about Quinn yet. She didn't know he was staying at the inn, and I didn't have the time or energy tonight to go into it. Being a mom, she would have a million questions, most of which I wasn't ready to answer yet; that is, if I even knew the answers.

  Seeing Quinn in my apartment still felt a little surreal, in spite of what had transpired between us there. What struck me this time as he came in, handed me a bottle of Lambrusco and kissed me, was that he looked nervous.

  "Thanks," I said, accepting the bottle and walking him into my small kitchen. "Can I pour you some of this?"

  "Sure," he replied, looking sheepish. "I can use some liquid courage."

  I smiled faintly as I opened the bottle and poured us each a glass. "Quinn, you don't need courage. It's OK."

  We took our glasses into the living room and sat on the sofa. Facing him, I reached out my glass to clink with his.

  "Cheers," I said, taking a sip.

  "So, are you going to tell me what's going on?" he asked gently. "Your reaction today really shook me up. I thought you wanted everything to be out in the open, so we wouldn't have to sneak around and you wouldn't have to worry about your job."

  "That is what I want."

  He raised his hands in a questioning gesture. "Then why aren't you happy about this? Are you having second thoughts about us? If you are Em, I need to know. I can't- I mean, I don't..." He shook his head and took a sip of wine.